The world is currently facing the biggest Ebola outbreak in history. Ebola is affecting many countries, more so in West Africa. Approximately half of those who have been exposed to Ebola have died.

“The Safety and health of our campus community is of the highest priority,” Dr. J. Patrick O’Brien, president of West Texas A&M University, said.

Along with the rest of the Texas A&M University System, West Texas A&M University is following guidelines and measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding the virus. Basic information stated on the CDC website refers to what symptoms to be aware of, how Ebola is spread and what one should do to protect himself/herself.

“I work in [Interlibrary Loan] in the Cornette Library, so I’m also handling books that come from universities all over Texas and the states,” Jocelyn Borunda, junior Athletic Training major, said. “We try to keep our work area clean and sanitized so not just Ebola but any illness is preventable, especially since these books that come in are handled by faculty and students at WT. The last thing we want is for one our users of our ILL system to be contacted with something.”

President O’Brien said there is currently no reason to believe there are any cases or threats of Ebola in the panhandle area.

Precautions can be taken to avoid coming into contact with the virus. Such precautions include avoiding areas of known outbreaks, washing your hands frequently, avoiding contact with those infected, following infection-control procedures and not handling any remains.

The CDC and TAMUS risk management offices have advised the avoidance of any education-related travel to countries where widespread transmission is present. The countries include Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Other countries that have been affected without widespread transmission include Mali, Spain and the United States.

Many believe they need to be extremely cautious when traveling on aircrafts, even when flying to a country not geographically close to those that have been affected by an Ebola outbreak.

“I’ve traveled a lot abroad, and unless I was going to West Africa, I wouldn’t necessarily be more careful when traveling through aircraft,” Haley Smith, graduate student in Psychology, said. “However, there are always immunizations or even political situations that you have to keep an eye on when traveling abroad, so while Ebola is serous, I don’t think the average traveler has to be terribly worried. I’ll still carry my hand wipes and hand sanitizer, though.”

Anyone with general questions regarding Ebola may contact Student Affairs at 806-651-2050. Specific medical questions should be addressed to Student Medical Services at 806-651-3281. West Texas A&M University will continue to monitor and implement guidance from the CDC.